03-06-2015, 06:32 PM
Quote:As for Dorking, I'd agree that it looks very promising, and there's a wide enough area of open ground west of the river to fight the battle - the Roman front line perhaps just north of Dorking Station, parallel to Bradley Lane and with its right flank on the river, the British wagon encampment on the higher ground around the village of Westhumble. However, the lack of any mention of a river by Tacitus is still a bit troubling, although perhaps not critical as in this case it would play only an incidental role in the course of the battle itself.Tacitus' failure to mention a river is not just troubling; it is fatal. One of the classic ways to protect a flank is to anchor it on a river. If Suetonius had done this, Tacitus would undoubtedly have said so. Instead, he describes the Romans being drawn up in a defile. In other words, both flanks were protected by higher ground. That is the sort of site we should be looking for. Forget rivers.
Michael King Macdona
And do as adversaries do in law, -
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
(The Taming of the Shrew: Act 1, Scene 2)
And do as adversaries do in law, -
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
(The Taming of the Shrew: Act 1, Scene 2)